Neptune nears end of first orbit since discovery

The planet Neptune is nearing the end of its first complete orbit since it was discovered in 1846.

Neptune was first discovered when observations of Uranus placed the orbit outside the path predicted by astronomers, it was then that the presence of another planet was predicted and the astronomer Johann Galle first observed it through a telescope.

The planet Neptune was in opposition — when the sun, Earth, and a planet fell in a straight line on Aug. 20. The planet will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky, being highest in the sky at local midnight. Usually this is also the point where the planet is closest to the Earth.